This Facebook 'Manipulation' Scandal Is Ridiculous — Companies Test Products (And You) All The Timehttp://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-manipulates-emotions-2014-7/comments
en-usWed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 -0500Fri, 09 Dec 2016 08:58:32 -0500Henry Blodgethttp://www.businessinsider.com/c/53b4cb20eab8eaf949331825Marv SwettWed, 02 Jul 2014 23:16:48 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/53b4cb20eab8eaf949331825
Informed consent involves more than just signing a TOS. The participants need to be “informed” about the scope of the research and be offered the opportunity to opt out. None of that language is present in any of the social media boilerplate TOS. It also involves researchers answering to an Institutional Review Board to ensure that test participants are not abused by not following these relatively simple guidelines.
You and the author need to review standard research practices.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/53b477086bb3f7b36b8c2a5ajonathan albottomWed, 02 Jul 2014 17:18:00 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/53b477086bb3f7b36b8c2a5a
this article is obviously link bait, and you use plenty of fallacies to make your points, bub. Do you not see a difference between A/B testing and trying to manipulate emotions by manipulating feeds? And you have to consider Facebook's track record, its CEO's past statements, and Sheryl Sandberg's comments. Add those up and people SHOULD be indignant. There's a line between A/B testing and what Facebook did, and anyone with a conscience would have stopped this. Clearly Zuckerberg and Sandberg don't have the level of respect that I expect, considering that I share my most personal information and messages at their site.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/53b472ec6da811076ee3ac7aPaul BenjouWed, 02 Jul 2014 17:00:28 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/53b472ec6da811076ee3ac7a
Henry.
You are making assumptions to make your point and in the process are likely obfuscating the intent of FBs exercise. I don't know what that is and neither do you.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/53b46d7becad04a35ad84780Beltway GregWed, 02 Jul 2014 16:37:15 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/53b46d7becad04a35ad84780
So let's take this a step further.....imagine if a web site accepts trips from clients and advertisers and authors glowing stories about their products? Basically, you're screwing around with people and it's propaganda in the first degree Mr. Goebbels. Henry, seriously, didn't you learn your lesson once? If you write positive things about products you can sell a product or a war (see Bush) or anything you'd want to sell.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/53b464e16da811392de3ac7bPulaskiWed, 02 Jul 2014 16:00:33 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/53b464e16da811392de3ac7b
The data from the study was analyzed by UC and Cornell. Could you please comment on the allegation that the study was funded in part by Department of Defense as part of research into risks of large scale civil unrest? Thank you.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/53b46481ecad04cd36d8477ddepressionWed, 02 Jul 2014 15:58:57 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/53b46481ecad04cd36d8477d
They most likely agreed in the TOS that they signed. ..http://www.businessinsider.com/c/53b4641a6da8111f27e3ac7cbittergreenWed, 02 Jul 2014 15:57:14 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/53b4641a6da8111f27e3ac7c
"When, as a Google executive, Marissa Mayer famously tested 41 shades of blue to see which shade prompted the highest user response rate, she was conducting an A/B product test."
Indeed, Marissa is famous for testing 41 different colors on the logo. And for being a multi-millionaire from Google stock options. And for obnoxious "Office Hours". And for sleeping underneath her desk while she tested out shades of blue.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/53b46356eab8ea5051331820frank.atodasoWed, 02 Jul 2014 15:53:58 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/53b46356eab8ea5051331820
The author of this piece misses the point, if you're going to do research on people and publish the findings, you need their informed consent. Period. End of discussion.
Now, if Facebook had done the research internally, one could make the argument that this was simply a product test. The fact that their users were never asked to agree to be manipulated like this in the terms of service suggests that they knew what they were doing was wrong. Furthermore, possible increased effects of negative manipulation on persons suffering from mood or anxiety disorders was not considered nor mitigated in the study design, something a decent human subjects protection committee would have requested.
The public's outrage to this undisclosed manipulation and experimentation is indeed warranted, whether or not it will impact Facebook's bottom line or affect the careers of the scientists who participated is yet to be seen.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/53b4624269bedd3148e18534public nudityWed, 02 Jul 2014 15:49:22 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/53b4624269bedd3148e18534
Volunteering your personal data to facebook is similar to walking naked in public.
Except walking naked in public leaves you with more privacy.